The present invention relates generally to perfecting the club swing plane, body alignment and stance of golfers. More particularly, it pertains to apparatus comprising a novel system of interrelated components which cause the user of the apparatus to retrain his or her swing, alignment and stance so as to eliminate the cause of slicing and pull hooking.
Correct alignment and swing plane are essential for achieving accuracy in a golfer s stroke and are in turn. instrumental in assuring the golfer's satisfaction and enjoyment of the game. Normally, a golfer's training consists of verbal instruction by a colleague or instructor and actual trial and error hitting of balls on a golf course or at a driving range. To acquire a high level of proficiency a golfer must spend many hours in training. Factors such as time, money, convenience, and access to facilities often times make playing a round of golf, or even practicing at a driving range, impracticable.
Many golfers, both novice and experienced, wish to improve their game even though they may be unable to spend a prolonged period at the golf course. Other golfers particularly those in the novice category, desire to improve their game away from the watchful eye of other golfers by correcting a faulty swing which has resulted in errant shots, lost balls and a general sense of embarrassment. Still other golfers, who by regular practice have reached a plateau in their level of play, may benefit from using new training equipment to enable them to reach new levels of skill on the golf course.
The prior art is replete with patents disclosing devices purporting to remedy various deficiencies in a golfer's technique. For example, one group of patents, as typified by U.S. Pat. Nos 3,041,075, 3,229,981, 3,253,830 4,164 352, 4,248,431, 4,257,608, 4,563,010, and 4,784,393 suggests golfing aids which enable a golfer to achieve the proper feet and ball positioning Another group, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,854,392, 4,583,738, 4,699,384, and 4,825,743, suggests apparatus and methods for teaching a golfer to properly swing a golf club along a predetermined path within a desired swing plane. Still others, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,718,674 and 4,736,952, pertain to devices purporting to teach the user both a proper stance and a correct swing alignment.
While numerous devices have been proposed over the years for improving various aspects of a player's game, none has proven entirely satisfactory in coordinating the stance, swing plane and alignment, and instilling in the golfer an inherent sense of the proper relationship between these factors. This deficiency in the prior art is remedied by the present invention.